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Is this legal?


spaceholder999

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Well, I didn't know where to put the topic so I am posting it here, since it is mod related. If the moderator wants to move it, it's alright.

 

Anyways, this Star Wars Battlefront II modding site http://www.gametoast.com is hosting this big mod called Conversion pack (basically Battlefront I maps for II, and as far as I know, that is legal). They have different eras in the mod, like Clone Wars, Galactic Civil War and KotoR. They've used alot of stuff from the KotoR assets to make the era (+ one Endar Spire map). I got on the admins' "black list" when I pointed that out in a PM, and shortly after that I got banned.

 

Check out the screenshots:

 

http://screenshots.filesnetwork.com/84/files2/94154_1.jpg

 

http://starwarsbattlefront.filefront.com/screenshots/File/94154/2

 

And here's the link to the mod:

 

http://starwarsbattlefront.filefront.com/file/Star_Wars_Battlefront_Conversion_Pack;94154

 

Is this legal? I've always thought porting (without the developers' permission) wasn't...

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I'm pretty sure they made it from scratch and just used reference pictures- the low quality of the models and skins is proof of that... I'm making sure I download it ASAP before it may get taken away. It's an amazing mod, I get to play Battlefront with Old Republic Sith and Republic while playing heroes like Bastila, Jolee, Chuundar, Uthar Wynn, etc... =]

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I'm pretty sure they made it from scratch and just used reference pictures- the low quality of the models and skins is proof of that... I'm making sure I download it ASAP before it may get taken away. It's an amazing mod, I get to play Battlefront with Old Republic Sith and Republic while playing heroes like Bastila, Jolee, Chuundar, Uthar Wynn, etc... =]

 

Well, it IS ported stuff. I saw the mod's Sith Trooper texture myself, and then I checked the one in the KotoR tool.

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Looks to be ported. I'm not really surprised; very few gaming communities have a good moral code.

 

 

Well the fact that they banned him for simply ASKING if it was legal for them to do that - ie maybe they obtained prior permission from LA/Bioware/Obsidian to use these assets - kinda shows that.

 

Unless of course he did it in a highly rude and offensive manner.

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You're not going to be tracked down and murdered/imprisoned for playing it or downloading it.

 

It probably isn't morally right, but you're not breaking any laws by playing it. If you were to release it, or the original maker had released it, he/she would have broken the law.

 

Don't quote me on this though, I'm not a lawyer- just a freelance Journalist.

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Battlefront 2 has had kotor skins for well over a year now, if LA cared, they probably would have done something by now. And besides, LA doesnt seem to give a rats ass about BF2 anymore, it was like after the 1.1 patch for PC and the xbox expansion pack, they just forgot about the game.

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A whole model? No. You can 'directly' copy a mesh, but you usually have to rig it manually for the game you're porting it to, so it's not simply a copy paste, but some intermediary editing needs to be done.

 

Same goes for (some) maps and other game content.

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LucasArts legal affairs told us a few years ago that they were fine with JK2-->JK3 map conversion, but made it clear they didn't want any sound porting between the games. I don't know why, but that's what they said.

 

As I said, though, that was several years ago. They may have a difference stance now, and good luck finding a way to contact their legal affairs department. It's not as easy as it used to be.

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